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Olympic Hall Zetra was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1983. Its first major event was the 1983 World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice"[1] with a copper roof. The venue hosted ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony helds in a indoor place until Vancouver 2010.[2][3]

From 1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.

The arena suffered substantial damage and was almost completely destroyed by shelling, bombing and fire by the Bosnian Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the Bosnian War.[4] The remaining areas of the structure, such as the basements, were put into service as a morgue[5][6] and as storage space for medication and supplies.[7][8] The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for coffins for civilians killed in the war.[9][10]

After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. In September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the SFOR, began. The International Olympic Committe donated $US 11.5 million to the project,[7] which cost an estimated €16.4 million.[5] The reconstruction was completed in 1999.